"R.A.M.O.N.E.S." is a song first recorded by the British rock band

Motörhead Motörhead () were an English rock band formed in London in 1975 by Lemmy (lead vocals, bass), Larry Wallis (guitar) and Lucas Fox (drums). Lemmy was also the primary songwriter and only constant member. The band are often considered a prec ...

on their 1991 album ''

1916 Events Below, the events of the First World War have the "WWI" prefix. January * January 1 – The British Royal Army Medical Corps carries out the first successful blood transfusion, using blood that had been stored and cooled. * ...

'' as a tribute to their friends and contemporaries, the

Ramones The Ramones were an American punk rock band that formed in the New York City neighborhood of Forest Hills, Queens, in 1974. They are often cited as the first true punk rock group. Despite achieving a limited commercial appeal in the United ...

History

The bands were long-standing admirers of each other's work. Critic Andy Boot, reviewing the album in ''

Kerrang ''Kerrang!'' is a British weekly magazine devoted to rock, punk and heavy metal music, currently published by Wasted Talent (the same company that owns electronic music publication ''Mixmag''). It was first published on 6 June 1981 as a one ...

'' (27 February 1991) described the song as "the icing on a very fine, if somewhat heavy, cake."

Joey Ramone Jeffrey Ross Hyman (May 19, 1951 – April 15, 2001), known professionally as Joey Ramone, was an American musician, best known as the lead singer and a founding member of the punk rock band Ramones. His image, voice, and his tenure with the R ...

said of the track: "It was the ultimate honor - like John Lennon writing a song for you". The track was first aired before

Phil Taylor Phil Taylor may refer to: * Phil Taylor (musician) (1954–2015), English drummer, best known as "Philthy Animal" Taylor * Phil Taylor (darts player) (born 1960), English darts player * Phil Taylor (American football) (born 1988), American footbal ...

and

Würzel Michael Richard Burston (23 October 1949 – 9 July 2011), commonly known by the stage name Würzel, was an English musician who played professionally for three decades. He played guitar in British rock band Motörhead from 1984 to 1995,

left the band. The Ramones also performed it on and off until their final show in August 1996 at which

C.J. Ramone Christopher Joseph Ward (born October 8, 1965), better known as C. J. Ramone, is an American musician best known for working as the bassist, backing and occasional lead vocalist of the punk rock group the Ramones from 1989 to 1996. He is one o ...

and

Lemmy Ian Fraser Kilmister (24 December 1945 – 28 December 2015), better known as Lemmy Kilmister or simply Lemmy, was an English musician. He was the founder, lead singer, bassist and primary songwriter of the rock band Motörhead, of which he w ...

shared lead vocals. Two different studio versions were recorded. One appears as a bonus track on their album ''

¡Adios Amigos! ''¡Adios Amigos!'' (in Spanish, "Goodbye Friends") is the fourteenth and final studio album by American punk rock band Ramones. It was released on July 18, 1995, through Radioactive Records. The Ramones disbanded a year after its release and ...

'' with C.J. Ramone singing lead vocals and the other one on the '' Greatest Hits Live'' with

singing lead vocals. The Huntingtons also covered this song on their '' File Under Ramones'' album. The

Groovie Ghoulies The Groovie Ghoulies were an American pop punk band from Sacramento, California, United States, whose music took inspiration from horror movies. They released numerous albums, EPs, and singles, and toured internationally. The band's name was t ...

cover the song on the Motorhead tribute album ''Built for Speed''. "R.A.M.O.N.E.S." was also covered by

the Offspring The Offspring is an American rock band from Garden Grove, California, formed in 1984. Originally formed under the name Manic Subsidal, the band's current lineup consists of lead vocalist and rhythm guitarist Bryan "Dexter" Holland, lead gui ...

on their performance at Rock in Rio 5 on 14 September 2013. At that show,

Marky Ramone Marc Steven Bell (born July 15, 1952) is an American drummer. He began playing in hard rock bands in the New York City area, notably Dust and Estus. He was asked to drum for punk rock band Richard Hell and the Voidoids. He replaced drummer Tommy ...

(who was the drummer of the Ramones from 1978 to 1983, and again from 1987 to their breakup in 1996) joined them onstage to perform cover versions of "R.A.M.O.N.E.S." and "

California Sun "California Sun" is a rock song first recorded by American rhythm and blues singer Joe Jones. Henry Glover is credited on the original 45 rpm single as the songwriter, although Roulette Records owner Morris Levy's name sometimes incorrectl ...

References

External links

Tablature
at BigBassTabs.com * {{Authority control 1991 songs Motörhead songs Ramones songs Songs written by Lemmy Songs written by Phil Campbell (musician) Songs written by Phil Taylor (musician) Songs written by Würzel